1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus and methods for preventing the escape of fluid from wells or pipes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As shown by recent events in the Gulf of Mexico, oil well blowouts are a serious threat to the environment, and can be very costly. Current blowout preventers can be unreliable. While there are numerous prior inventions of blowout preventers, none are equivalent to the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,543,456, issued on Jun. 23, 1925, to Robert Stirling, discloses a blowout preventer, without the Bernoulli effect of the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,301,827, issued on Nov. 24, 1981, to Rajam R. Murthy and Billy J. Rice, discloses a guided-float accumulator suitable for use with a hydraulic system for an oil well blowout preventer, using reaction forces that oppose Bernoulli effect forces, rather than making use of Bernoulli effect forces as in the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,012,854, issued on May 7, 1991, to John A. Bond, discloses a pressure release valve for a subsea blowout preventer that is hydraulically operated, without making use of the Bernoulli effect as in the instant invention.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.